Transportation and storage system for bagged fluids

ABSTRACT

A transport system for a fluid which comprises a fluid containing bag, an overwrap bag which encloses the fluid containing bag, and a box which encloses the overwrap bag.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/720,787 filed Oct. 31, 2012, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

This disclosure generally relates to a system for transporting andstoring bagged fluids, particularly potable fluids.

2. Description of Related Art

The packaging of liquids in flexible bags is well known. Because thematerials used to make inexpensive flexible bags for the packaging offluids are generally susceptible to breakage, tearing, puncture, orother forms of mechanical breach of the physical integrity of the bag,it is also known to assemble liquid-filled bags within protectivepackaging for transport and/or dispensing. These protective packagingdevices can be made in a number of ways such as from heavy-weight paper(e.g., cardboard), heavy plastic, or other carriers.

Some assemblies exist which are designed for the containment of potableliquids for consumption, i.e., beverages, for which the protectivepackaging is integrated with the liquid-filled bag. These beverageassemblies can come in two major forms. Some are designed to provide forflexible, more disposable, covers while others are more rigid and canprovide for additional storage and beneficial effects. Common examplesof more rigid protective covers are provided by the so-calledbag-in-a-box containers, in which an inner flexible liner, i.e., aliquid-filled bag, is attached to or placed in a cardboard box thatprovides the necessary support for easy dispensing of the liquid. Ineffect, while the bag provides the liquid containment, the box, which isunable to hold fluid generally, provides rigidity to the compositeassembly to keep it from flexing and moving around.

In these assemblies the liquid-filled bag is generally not intended tobe removed from the box at any time prior to or during use, andgenerally is attached to the box in some semi-permanent manner, such asthrough use of an adhesive, to keep the assembly together. One reasonfor this arrangement is because the various parts cannot effectivelyoperate on their own. For example, a distinguishing characteristic ofthese assemblies is that the paperboard from which the box is usuallymade is not a material sufficient for maintaining the sterility of theouter surface of the inner, liquid-filled bag, and therefore theassembly is used only in cases where sterility is not needed. Further,dispensing valves and the like are often constructed as an integral partof the assembly and therefore require both parts be present to functioncorrectly.

A second problem with placing bags of potable fluid in boxes is that ataste of the box can leach into the plastic of the bag and can transferto the fluid. For this reason, many assemblies utilize expensivespecialty bags. While a flexible plastic bag can generally constrainfluid in the bag, it does not necessarily prevent very small particlesfrom passing therethrough. The problem of taste transmission can becompounded if the box is wet or otherwise exposed to fluids that canresult in particles from the box coming into more direct contact withthe material of the bag.

Thin plastic bags, however, are particularly advantageous forapplications where the bag material needs to be quite thin and flexibleto allow for penetration of a spike-based dispensing mechanism to beused in dispensing the fluid from the bag; that is, systems where thedispensing mechanism is not built into the bag or box. In suchsituations, the bag, by its nature to provide for appropriate spikedaccess, can be particularly susceptible to this type of assimilation. Inmany cases, this is not a problem, the bag is very large and thematerial inside the bag has a particularly strong taste (e.g. mustard)which can easily counteract any perceived taste difference due tostorage. However, for potable water, which has very little taste, thetaste issue can become significant.

A further problem with a bag-in-a-box is that of transportation. Thegeneral reason for placing a bag in a box is to provide for easierstorage (as the boxes can be stacked more readily and can have a morerigid structure) and easier transportation (as the rigidity of the boxcan make it easier to carry by hand, in vehicles, or using othertraditional conveyances). However, unless the bag is built into andadhered to the box, the bag will rarely rigidly fill the box as the boxis usually a little bit larger than the bag in order to make itrelatively easy to place the bag in the box. This also allows for thebag to be damaged should the box be struck or crushed as if thefluid-filled bag completely fills the box (e.g. the fluid volume isvirtually identical to the volume of the box) a penetrating hit againstthe box could result in an unintended penetration of the bag.

In the situation, however, where the fluid filled bag is smaller thanthe box, the bag can move around in the box and this can result infriction damage to the bag. Such damage, in the worst case scenario, canresult in a weak point being developed in the bag and eventual failureof the bag to constrain the fluid. Even outside of this catastrophicfailure, friction can exacerbate taste transfer, can result in the bagbeing more difficult to handle, and can potentially harm sterility ofthe surface of the bag, making a sterile penetration for purposes ofspiked dispensing difficult.

To attempt to deal with this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,844, isdirected to a water dispensing system that includes a puncturablewater-filled bag, with a protective packaging directly attached to theliquid-filled bag. This protective packaging is intended to be removedprior to use of the liquid-filled bag. In this patent, however, theprotective packaging is a set of independent sheets of material—panelsapplied to the curved planar surfaces of the liquid-filled bag which aredepicted as being peeled off of the liquid-filled bag like the peel of abanana is peeled off of the fruit and while providing some sterility,these cannot provide any structural benefits and are susceptible tobeing torn off inadvertently.

U.S. Patent Publication No.: 2007/0154119 also provides for apuncturable water bag with protective plastic overwrap packaging, butthis packaging is specifically designed to provide strength to the bagcombination to allow it to be used without need to include any othersupport. Thus, a pure bag system can provide for additional rigidity tothe assembly by helping to force a shape and rigidity to the underlyingbag.

While these systems solve some of the problems discussed previously,they fail in a number of crucial areas. For one, structures whichutilize only bags are often difficult to stack and transport, even ifthe bag structure is relatively rigid, due to the structure not havinglinear sides. Further, bag systems also can suffer from friction damageas the two bag structure can often freely move, the outer panels can bepulled loose in certain transportation scenarios, and the bags are noteasily labeled and identified.

SUMMARY

Because of these and other problems in the art, there is describedherein, a transport system for a fluid which comprises a fluidcontaining bag, an overwrap bag which encloses the fluid containing bag,and a box which encloses the overwrap bag. In an embodiment, the fluidcontaining bag is vacuum sealed about the fluid containing bag while inan alternative embodiment the fluid containing bag is placed loosely inthe overwrap bag. The two different embodiments can be used to providefor slightly different features for the assembly depending on theintended use.

Accordingly, described herein is a bagged fluid assembly comprising: aninner liquid-filled bag; a protective packaging, the protectivepackaging being sealed about the liquid-filled bag to create a bagassembly and providing protection from mechanical failure; and an outercarrier, the bag assembly being placed inside the outer carrier.

In one embodiment of the bagged fluid assembly, the protective packagingis pliable and not materially damaged by deformation. Further, in oneembodiment of the bagged fluid assembly, the protective packaging is asecond bag. In another embodiment, the protective packaging is made of astrong and durable material. In still another embodiment, the protectivepackaging is comprised of two pieces bonded together.

In another embodiment, the inner bag is flexible andreadily-puncturable.

In one embodiment of the bagged fluid assembly, the protective packagingis vacuum sealed to the inner liquid-filled bag, causing the innerliquid-filled bag and the protective packaging to behave as a singularunit. In one embodiment of this bagged fluid assembly, the pressure oftrapped air between the protective packaging and the inner liquid-filledbag is reduced to be within the range of about 0-0.8 atm.

In one embodiment, the protective packaging maintains a sterileenvironment within the space it encloses once it is sealed. In anotherembodiment, the protective packaging prevents fluid leaching. Further,in another embodiment, the protective packaging provides increasedresistance to small particle transfer through its surface.

In another embodiment, the outer carrier is a box. In one embodiment,the outer box will have improved resistance to deformation. In stillanother embodiment, the outer box is capable of maintaining its shapeunder stress. Finally, in another embodiment, the bagged fluid assemblycan be easily stacked.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a fluid bag inan overwrap bag placed in a box.

FIG. 2 shows the fluid bag in the overwrap bag of FIG. 1 removed fromthe box.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a fluid bag inan overwrap bag placed in a box.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure is intended to teach by way of example and not by way oflimitation.

The FIGS depict views of two embodiments of a bagged fluid assembly(10). An element of the assembly shown in these FIGS. is an inner,flexible and relatively readily-puncturable liquid-filled bag (11). Theliquid-filled bag (11) has been formed, in these embodiments, from atube of material sealed along two sides. The tube is then sealed at thebottom to form a pouch, filled, and then sealed along the top. In anembodiment, this liquid-filled bag (11) may be produced (i.e., formed,filled, and sealed) under sterile conditions or otherwise sterilizedafter production, such that either or both of the liquid (21) containedtherein is sterile and the outer surface of the liquid-filled bag (11)is sterile. In other embodiments, other methods of producing, and otherconfigurations, shapes, and sizes for a flexible, relativelyreadily-puncturable, inner, liquid-filled bag (11) are used; theliquid-filled bag (11) is not necessarily produced from a tube, andcould be similarly formed from a sheet, or formed using other methods ormaterial configurations.

In an embodiment, the liquid-filled bag (11) is designed to be used withone of various independent dispensing apparatuses to dispense the liquidto a user or consumer thereof. Specifically, it is designed for use witha bag spiking system where the valve and other dispensing apparatus isseparate from the bag structure and is positioned to penetrate the outerwall of the bag (11) when dispensing is desired. In an embodimentdesigned for dispensing a fluid from the liquid-filled bag (11) throughsuch a dispensing apparatus, the liquid-filled bag (11) is engineered tobe readily punctured by and seal about a spike. One such embodiment of adispensing mechanism which may be used to dispense from such a bag (11)is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,177,096 the entire disclosure of which isherein incorporated by reference.

The embodiment of the assembly (10), shown assembled in FIG. 1 andpartially separated in FIG. 2 comprises a protective packaging (31)(also termed an overwrap or outer bag) sealed about the liquid-filledbag (11). In the embodiment shown, the protective packaging (31) is inthe form of a second bag (31) of similar design to the first (11) and isdesigned to loosely contain the bag (11). This bag (31), however, asopposed to bag (11) is made of a relatively strong durable (i.e., notreadily puncturable or tearable) material. Thus, it is not designed tobe readily spiked.

Further, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer bag (31) isgenerally larger than the inner bag (11) and includes some trapped air(or another gas) inside its internal volume (39). Thus, the inner bag(11) can move relative to the outer bag (31) by sliding, rolling, orotherwise traversing the inner surface of the outer bag (31). While itis possible that the inner bag (11), in an embodiment, could besuspended inside the outer bag (31) in a way that inhibits them fromcontacting each other (e.g. through the use of pressurized air), this isgenerally not desirable as such suspension is not required and canresult in a dramatically increased size.

The protective packaging (131) of FIG. 3 is slightly different, in thisembodiment the packaging (131) is formed from two pieces that have beenbonded together in the manner of U.S. Patent Application PublicationNo.: 2007/0154119, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporatedby reference. When complete, the peripheral seal completely joins thetwo pieces about their periphery or near thereto and completely enclosesan internal volume, i.e., the space occupied by the inner liquid-filledbag (11) and any interstitial space between the liquid-filled bag (11)and the protective packaging (131).

In an embodiment, prior to completing the peripheral seal, anyinterstitial space is essentially evacuated, causing the collapse of theprotective packaging (131) about the liquid-filled bag (11), anddecreasing the interstitial space to a very small and essentiallyunoccupied volume. The peripheral seal, which bonds the first and secondpieces of the protective packaging (131), is completed while theinterstitial space is held at a reduced pressure (i.e., the protectivepackaging (131) is vacuum sealed about the liquid-filled bag (11)). Oncethe peripheral seal is complete, the characteristics of the material ofthe protective packaging (131) and the peripheral seal allow the reducedpressure in the interstitial space to be maintained for a relativelylong period of time. In alternate embodiments the pressure in theinterstitial space is reduced to be within the range of about 0-0.8 atm,or more preferably about 0-0.5 atm, about 0-0.2 atm, or about 0-0.1 atm.This results in the two bags (11) and (131) essentially behaving as asingular unit.

Generally, in both the above embodiments, the protective packaging (31)and (131) is pliable and is not materially damaged by deformation. Itmay be made of the same material as that of the liquid-filled bag (11),or of a different material, preferably a more durable, lessreadily-puncturable material. The protective packaging (31) and (131) isgenerally capable of maintaining a sterile environment within the spaceit encloses once it is sealed and may also provide increased resistanceto small particle transfer through its surface, resistance to UV orother types of light, and/or tensile strength. Additionally, theprotective packaging (31) and (131) will generally provide protectionfrom mechanical failure of its integrity caused by physical stress, suchas may occur during transportation of the bag assembly (30) (the bagassembly comprising the inner bag (11) and either the outer bag (31) orthe outer bag (131)) to a location where the liquid will be dispensed,including such physical stresses as compression forces, whether suchforces are distributed across a surface or applied at a point, sheerforces, and abrasive forces.

The protection against mechanical failure provided to the liquid-filledbag (11) by the protective packaging (31) and (131) may be as a resultof various factors, including the material from which the protectivepackaging (31) or (131) is made, as well as other attributes of thatmaterial, including such attributes as its thickness. In an embodimentthe protective packaging (31) or (131) is made of the same material asthe liquid-filled bag (11) but may be significantly thicker. In analternate embodiment, the material used to construct the protectivepackaging (31) or (131) is a different material and may have a thicknessgreater than that of the material used to construct the liquid-filledbag (11), about the same, or less depending on its material properties.In an embodiment where the protective packaging (31) or (131) materialis thicker than the liquid-filled bag (11) material, the greaterthickness of the protective packaging (31) or (131) material willgenerally aid in providing resistance to mechanical failure.

In yet another alternate embodiment, such as the embodiment shown inFIG. 3, the protective packaging (131) is made of more than one piece ofmaterial bonded together. The various pieces of the protective packaging(31) or (131) need not be of the same composition or thickness. Forexample one piece may be molded into shape from a flat sheet ofmaterial. In that case, the molding process may reduce the thickness ofthe material so that for the lower piece to have comparable thickness toanother piece after the first piece has been molded requires that firstpiece, prior to molding, be of greater thickness than the second piece.

In an embodiment, the protective packaging (31) and (131) is made from adifferent material than is used to make the liquid-filled bag (11), suchmaterial having been chosen for constructing the protective packaging(31) and (131) because of its inherent ability to resist mechanicalfailure, to protect the liquid-filled bag (11) from mechanical failure,to provide for a moisture or particulate barrier, or for the frictioncoefficient of its surface. For example, the material used for eitherthe protective packaging (31) or (131) or the liquid-filled bag (11) maybe any appropriate plastic material, especially an organic polymermaterial. Specific examples of organic polymer materials that may beused for either the liquid-filled bag (11) or the protective packaging(31) or (131) include polyolefins generally, and specifically include,but are not limited to, polyethylene, polypropylene, poly-vinylidenedichloride, poly-ethylene vinyl alcohol, nylon, and copolymers of any ofthese polymers. Other polymers as well as other suitable pliablematerials may be used to construct the liquid-filled bag (11) and theprotective packaging (31) or (131). In an embodiment, the liquid-filledbag (11) is constructed of a copolymer of polypropylene andpolyethylene, and the protective packaging (31) or (131) is constructedfrom a polymer comprising nylon. The protective packaging (31) or (131)is therefore significantly stronger and thicker than the material of thefluid filled bag (11).

Further, the outer bag (31) or (131) may be designed to prevent fluidleaching through the bag. It is well known to those of ordinary skillthat certain plastics, over time, can absorb fluids into them if theyremain in contact therewith. This can cause contaminants in thoseliquids to be transferred through the material of the bag. In the caseof a water filled bag (11), this can result in transfer of a contaminantexterior to the bag (11) slowly being leached into the water inside thebag (11). When bags are placed in a box (331), the likelihood of suchleaching is increased due to mechanical interaction between the bag andthe box (331) and with the possibility that the box (331) will get wetand absorb such fluid, allowing it to evaporate slowly compared to fluidwhich was simply placed on the protective packaging (31) and (131)increasing the exposure time to the contaminant.

With regard to the seals in each of the liquid-filled bag (11) and theprotective packaging (31) or (131), any method of sealing can be used,so long as the seal is sufficient to perform the task necessary for theseal, i.e., respectively, to keep the liquid in the liquid-filled bag(11), and to maintain the protective packaging (31) or (131) about theliquid-filled bag (11). For example, such a seal could be made using anadhesive applied between two joined surfaces. Another method of sealingis a heat induced weld.

In the preferred embodiment, the seals withstand typical forces appliedagainst the seal during manufacture and distribution. With respect toany seal made on the liquid-filled bag (11), the seal should alsowithstand typical forces applied during use, for example, the forcesthat may be applied to puncture the liquid-filled bag (11) for purposesof dispensing the liquid. With respect to the seal on the protectivepackaging (31) or (131), this seal may be readily broken by an end-useror consumer desiring access to the liquid-filled bag (11) within theprotective packaging (31) or (131). That is, in an embodiment, theperipheral seal on the protective packaging (31) or (131) issufficiently strong to keep the liquid-filled bag (11) sealed within theprotective packaging (31) or (131) under typical conditions of transportand storage, but will break, allowing access to the liquid-filled bag(11), under a reasonable force specifically applied against a seal by anunaided individual person. In a preferred embodiment, the engineeringchoices with respect to both the material used to make the protectivepackaging (31) and (131) and the strength of the seals are such that aseal breaks under the specifically applied force of an individualattempting to access the liquid-filled bag (11), such seal breakageoccurring prior to mechanical failure of the protective packagingmaterial.

In an alternative embodiment, the seals of the outer bags (31) and (131)may be designed to resist unaided attempts at separation and puncturing.As the outer bags (31) and (131) are generally designed to beprotective, the seals may not be readily breakable. Instead, the designmay be such that the user has to utilize a knife or other tool topenetrate the outer wall of the bag (31) or (131) and/or any seals.

For the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the vacuum sealing process describedabove provides the assembly with features not otherwise providedindividually by the elements of the assembly. Due to the vacuum sealing,which results in a reduced pressure in the interstitial space, theprotective packaging (131) is held tightly by the external air pressureto the liquid-filled bag (11), as shown in the FIGS. placingsubstantially all the protective packaging's (131) internal area intocontact with the liquid-filled bag (11). In addition to enhancing thequalities of the protective packaging (131) that mitigate againstbreakage, the vacuum sealing process aids in maintaining the sterilityof the liquid-filled bag (11), particularly on the outer surface of theliquid-filled bag (11).

One advantage of the vacuum sealing is that the liquid-filled bag (11)and the protective packaging (131) behave essentially as a unitarypackaging even though they are not actually bound together, e.g., notprimarily bound by adhesive forces such as may result from use of anadhesive between the inner, liquid-filled bag (11) and the protectivepackaging (131). Such unitary behavior aids in transport by, forexample, making the bag assembly (30) easier to grasp, lift, and carry,as opposed to an assembly in which the protective packaging (131) is notheld tightly to the inner, liquid-filled bag (11). If the protectivepackaging (131) and the liquid-filled bag (11) are not held together,the liquid-filled bag (11) then would be able to slop about within theinternal volume of the protective packaging (131) which can result in amass shift during stops and starts of transportation.

However, this rigid connection can also provide some problems.Specifically, as the two bags (11) and (131) are in close proximity, asingle penetrating hit which can penetrate the structure of bag (131)can generally also penetrate the structure of bag (11). Thus, this typeof design can be subject to certain types of damage unless the bag (131)is sufficiently strong. Thus the bag (131) generally has to be madequite a bit heavier than bag (11) and/or bag (31). In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1 and 2, the inner bag (11) is designed to move within the outerbag (31) and as such a penetration of the outer bag (31) will often notpenetrate the inner bag (11) as it will simply shift away from thepenetrating object. Further, as the bag assembly (30) when vacuum sealedbehaves more as a unitary object, transmission through both layers issubstantially easier than in a looser connection.

Another advantage of the vacuum sealing of the assembly is the addedstrength provided to the protective layer by virtue of the liquid-filledbag (11) material essentially acting in concert with the protectivepackaging (131) material. When the assembly is vacuum sealed, theprotective packaging (131) is pressed and held against the liquid-filledbag (11) by the external air pressure. Thus held together, the twomaterials (whether the same or different) respond to certain physicalstress stimuli essentially as a unitary, multi-layered material. This defacto multilayered material (though not actually a single multilayeredmaterial) is more protective toward mechanical failure than eithermaterial alone. So, while obtaining the added protection againstmechanical failure that is otherwise observed in assemblies in which theprotective layer is bonded to the liquid-filled bag (11), this assemblyis generally smaller to manufacture and can provides easier access tothe more readily puncturable inner, liquid-filled bag (11).

While the above has discussed an arrangement of the inner bag (11)inside an outer bag (31) or (131) to form the bag assembly (30), theassembly (10) generally comprises a third major structure which is amore rigid, and generally more linearly constructed outer carrier (331).This carrier (331) in the depicted embodiments is a box (331) generallyin the form of parallelepiped which may be constructed of a variety ofmaterials such as, but not limited to, cardboard or other papers,plastics, metals, or other relatively rigid materials. The box (331)provides for some additional benefits to the bagged assembly (30) alone.

Specifically, as the box (331) is generally capable of maintaining itsshape, even under stress, the box (331) can allow for the assemblies(10) to be more easily stacked. Further, as is understood by those ofordinary skill, a box (331) has improved resistance to deformation dueto the shape of corners and the stress distribution of its surfaces.Thus, a box (331) can often resist compressive forces to a greaterextent than a bag assembly (30) can, even if the bag assembly (30) isfilled with a more viscous fluid. A box (331) can also often absorb amuch greater amount of frictional damage without loss of integrity thana flexible bag assembly (30) can.

However, along with these advantages, the placement of a two bagassembly (30) in a box (331) can also result in concerns. For one, whena bag is placed in a box (331), it is often subjected to mechanicaldamage that it otherwise would not be. For example, if a bag is placeddirectly on a transportation surface and tied down, the bag willgenerally not move and therefore is not subject to frictional forces.However, if an external box (331) including the bag is so secured, thebag may still be able to move inside the box (331), which can result infriction and mechanical damage in the form of chaffing. Similarly, theclose proximity of the box material to the bag can result in an easiertransfer of external fluid, which may be able to pass through thematerial of the bag to reach the internal fluid.

As should be apparent, many of the problems of a single bag in a boxalso exist from a bag assembly (30) when the inner bag (11) is in closeproximity to its protective outer bag (131) (the design of FIG. 3).Specifically, as there is no air-gap between the two bags, the fluid cango directly from one material to the other and frictional damage canwork through the structure of one bag and immediately begin acting onthe other.

To deal with these potential concerns, the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2,provides that the bag assembly (30) is formed of bags (11) and (31)which are not vacuum sealed. Instead, the outer bag (31) is sealed aboutthe inner bag (11) purposefully leaving a trapped air space around it.As the protective outer bag (31) is sealed, this bag (31) effectivelyalso contains fluid (specifically air or another gas) which is sealedtherein. This reduces fluid transfer from external both bags, throughthe material of both bags over the structure of FIG. 3 as there areadditional transitions required.

Still further, as the air or gas is trapped within the outer bag (31),the outer bag (31) will generally provide a cushioning structure for theinner bag (11). In the first instance, while the inner bag (11) canclearly move internal to the outer bag (31), there is generally adramatically reduced likelihood of mechanical damage in such interactionas both the external surface of the inner bag (11) and the internalsurface of the outer bag (31) will generally be smoother than anexternal surface of the box (331) would be. Similarly, should the outerbag (31) be punctured, the inner bag (11) will generally not bepunctured as it can deflect away from the point of puncturing and evenonce partially deflated, the outer bag (31) can still provide the samefrictional benefit.

In effect, the advantage of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 is that thebag assembly (30) (of bags (11) and (31)) has pieces that operateindependently of each other and therefore damage to one is generally nottransferred to the other. However, in this embodiment, the combinationis only as strong as the weaker of its two parts. In the embodiment ofFIG. 3, the bag assembly (30) (of bags (11) and (131)) has pieces thatoperate together which provides a joint structure as strong or strongeras the sum of the parts, but allows for the more ready transfer ofdamaging action on one to the other. Thus, the two types of bagassemblies (30) can provide different features and generally will beselected based on the expected use and damage the bag assembly (30) willencounter with the best chosen for each scenario.

Placing the selected two bag structure in a box provides for additionalbenefits to the bag assembly (30) as well as mitigating some of eachassembly's (30) weaknesses. In the first instance, even when the bagsare vacuum sealed together, stacking and carrying of the bag assembly(30) can be difficult. Specifically, most transportation infrastructureis built to handle rigid shapes. While generally quite rigid, thebag-in-bag structure is still flexible and can be hard to transport.Providing a box (331) can provide for it to be carried in a morestandard fashion.

Further, as discussed above, a plastic to plastic surface connectionwill generally be quite smooth. Thus, two multi-bag structures placedtogether will generally readily slide relative to each other. A box, onthe other hand, can inhibit such motion by having a rougher externalsurface making it easier to transport the assembly (10) on certaininherently unstable vehicles (such as bicycles or motorcycles).

The box (331) also provides for benefits that mitigate some of theweaknesses of the specific bag assembly (30). For example, with the bagassembly (30) of FIG. 3, allowing the bag assembly to have some movementrelative to the box (331), such as by having an open top as shown,allows the bag assembly (30), as a whole, to move away from a damagingpenetration reducing the likelihood of such penetration puncturing theassembly (30). Similarly, using the bag assembly (30) of FIGS. 1 and 2,the box (331) imposes rigidity on the assembly and provides an outerprotective cover that may be stronger than both the internal bagcomponents providing additional protection.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, the elements, connections, and dimensions of thepreferred embodiments should not be understood as limitations on allembodiments. Modifications and variations of the described embodimentsmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, and other embodiments should be understood to be encompassedin the present disclosure as would be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art.

1. A bagged fluid assembly comprising: an inner liquid-filled bag; aprotective packaging, the protective packaging being sealed about theliquid-filled bag to create a bag assembly and providing protection frommechanical failure; and an outer carrier, the bag assembly being placedinside the outer carrier.
 2. The bagged fluid assembly of claim 1,wherein the protective packaging is pliable and not materially damagedby deformation.
 3. The bagged fluid assembly of claim 1, wherein theprotective packaging is a second bag.
 4. The bagged fluid assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the inner bag is flexible and readily-puncturable. 5.The bagged fluid assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective packagingis made of a strong and durable material.
 6. The bagged fluid assemblyof claim 1, wherein the protective packaging is comprised of two piecesbonded together.
 7. The bagged fluid assembly of claim 4, wherein theprotective packaging is vacuum sealed to the inner liquid-filled bag,causing the inner liquid-filled bag and the protective packaging tobehave as a singular unit.
 8. The bagged fluid assembly of claim 5,wherein the pressure of trapped air between the protective packaging andthe inner liquid-filled bag is reduced to be within the range of about0-0.8 atm.
 9. The bagged fluid assembly of claim 1, wherein theprotective packaging maintains a sterile environment within the space itencloses once it is sealed.
 10. The bagged fluid assembly of claim 1,wherein the protective packaging prevents fluid leaching.
 11. The baggedfluid assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective packaging providesincreased resistance to small particle transfer through its surface. 12.The bagged fluid assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer carrier is abox.
 13. The bagged fluid assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer box hasimproved resistance to deformation.
 14. The bagged fluid assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the outer box is capable of maintaining its shape understress.
 15. The bagged fluid assembly of claim 1, wherein the baggedfluid assembly can be easily stacked.